The Welsfore surname and its variations are habitation names that have been taken on from various place names in Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Northhantsford, and elsewhere. These place names are generally derived from the Old English "welig," meaning "willow," or "well," denoting "a spring," combined with "ford."

Welsfore Early Origins

The surname Welsfore was first found in Berkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Welford which was held by the Abingdon Abbey and was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Welsfore Spelling Variations

Welsfore Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Welford, Wellford, Welsford, Wellsford and others.

Welsfore Early History

Welsfore Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Welsfore research. Another 171 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1190 and 1461 are included under the topic Early Welsfore History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Welsfore Early Notables (pre 1700)

Welsfore Early Notables (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Welsfore Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Robt. Welford, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1805; Thomas Wellford, whose oath of Allegiance was recorded in Philadelphia in 1815; Samuel Wellsford, who arrived in New York, NY in 1822.

The Welsfore Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Welsfore Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.